TRAVEL REQUIRED:

Not required

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed No

KEY REQUIREMENTS:
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You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

You must be enrolled in a Law School Program

Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.

Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)

Completed at least TWO years of law school and be currently enrolled.

Telework is not available for this position.

Pathways Internship Program

The Internship Program targets individuals currently accepted for enrollment or enrolled in an accredited high school; college (including four-year colleges/universities, community colleges, and junior colleges); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.  Throughout the program, selectees will participate in job assignments to develop competencies that enhance their academic career goals. For more information on the Pathways Programs, please visit:  http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways/.

The Pathways for Students Internship program in the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, USPTO is tailored for law students with an interest in trademark law and the U.S. trademark registration process, although some research may touch upon international trademark law issues and related intellectual property issues. The intern program primarily supports the trademark examining operation, which consists of nearly 600 trademark attorneys who are responsible for determining the registrability of trademark applications.

The program will begin on May 20, 2019 or May 28, 2019 and will end on August 9, 2019 and you MUST commit to work a minimum of 10 weeks. Participants will be expected to work a set schedule and work 40 hours per week. Interns will be provided with the necessary computer equipment, Lexis/Nexis training, and other legal training as needed. Business casual attire is acceptable.

This is a temporary, not to exceed 90 days paid internship position.

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. 

For more information about the Pathways program, please visit:

https://www.opm.gov/about-us/careers-at-opm/students-recent graduates/

Specialized Experience: is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Candidates for the GS-07 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-05 grade level in the Federal service.

Examples of specialized experience may include:

(1) Experience performing legal research; and

(2) Experience or an understanding of trademark, patent, intellectual property, copyright, trade, etc. laws and the ability to interpret, analyze and apply to various issues/matters; and

(3) Experience communicating both orally and in writing.

OR

One full year of graduate level education;

OR

A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement - that is one of the following: In the upper one-third of your graduating class; OR a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript, OR based on courses completed during your final 2 years;

OR

A combination of post high school education and experience that combined meet the qualification requirements for this position.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

 

Education: To qualify based on education, you must submit copy of transcripts which include course listings, major(s), and grade point average or class ranking. You must be enrolled in an accredited law school and taking at least a half-time academic course load. The definition of half-time is the definition provided by the school in which you are enrolled.  The student must have taken at least 1 Intellectual Property law class prior to the start of this internship.

GS-7:     1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. [See Eligibility Requirements.] 

Graduate Education: Education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement.

Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

Student Program Eligibles
Applications will be accepted from all United States Citizens and Nationals who are students of at least 16 years of age, pursuing any of the following education programs:  Graduate, Professional and Law Degree, AND who is enrolled in at least a half-time academic course load, or has done so during the prior semester may be considered.

Applicants applying for this position must be a United States Citizen. 

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

This is a NON Bargaining Unit position.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "low". 

Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website.

Trial Period- If selected, your entire period served under this program will be under a trial period.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued.

All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.  If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act.  Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292). 

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You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This is a non-competitive appointment.  There is no testing, rating or ranking of applicants for this program.  Eligibility for appointment is based on applicants meeting the basic qualification requirements for the position.

Note: Applicants who meet USPTO’s minimum qualification requirements may be further evaluated upon his/her verbal responses to questions during the structured interview process. In responding to structured interview questions, you should be certain to cite specific examples of experience, explain exactly what you did, and the outcome (whether direct or anticipated).

To preview questions please click here.

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Drug test required No